In November of 2018, the Lubbock Lake Landmark released an initial version of its new mobile app for visitors of all ages. The Landmark is a satellite facility of the Museum of Texas Tech University with its own staff and programming. The Landmark opened a new exhibit in November 2018 and sought to expand accessibility initiatives with the development of a mobile app. This app is free and allows the public to engage with the Landmark in new and exciting ways. The app has six sections: About; Accessibility; Current Exhibit; Events; Explore; and Landmark in Your Livingroom. The app can be downloaded onto personal devices or a visitor may use a Landmark iPad (with the app preloaded) free-of-charge.
The app features augmented reality (AR) components for visitors to experience throughout the Landmark’s temporary exhibit From Enormous to Tiny: Ice Age Animals of the Southern High Plains. For example, rather than static maps, the exhibit panels come alive through the app’s AR to allow visitors to see glaciers move over time. Animals are highlighted in the exhibit’s large mural as the visitor categorizes certain animals as extinct, extant, or extirpated with an AR feature in the app. Additionally, the app lets users listen to extra audio content related to the temporary exhibit. For those individuals who cannot visit in person, a Landmark in your Livingroom section of the app allows them to view archaeological artifacts in their own home by projecting 3D models of artifacts in AR. The 3D models can be projected onto a flat, horizontal surface then the visitor can manipulate the size and orientation of the model.
For visitors interested in the Landmark’s outdoor trails, the app provides an interactive map and plant and wildlife guides. If location services are enabled, the visitor can use their GPS in conjunction with the app’s interactive map to navigate from the Interpretive Center to the Wildflower Trail, Nature Trail, or Archaeology Trail. While on the trails, the visitor can use the app’s plant and wildlife guides to identify and learn about various local, native flora and fauna.
In addition to digital content, the app expands the Landmark’s accessibility initiatives. Dynamic text sizing, color contrast, button sizing, and voiceover compatibility increase the accessibility of the app. While no mobile app accessibility standards yet exist, the app adapts and applies the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to adhere to international standards of web content accessibility. The Landmark’s Social Story, a learning tool for visitors on the autism spectrum, is available in the app as well.
The mobile application was developed in-house over eight months without a development budget. The tech build of the app includes Xcode using Swift and ARKit and 3D photogrammetry. Two employees of the Museum of Texas Tech University, the parent unit of the Lubbock Lake Landmark, spearheaded the project and developed the app in-house within limited sanctioned time. User testing occurred on a small scale during development and then again after the initial soft launch. During development, various Museum and Landmark staff members provided feedback and 11-12 year old Landmark Summer Adventure participants provided a younger user perspective. Their feedback helped shape the in-exhibit and at-home AR experiences. App content was drawn from the upcoming exhibit, previously created 3D assets, staff photographs, and newly created 3D assets. The employees used a scaled approach to achieve a minimal viable product for launch.
A visual descriptive tour for visually impaired users is scheduled for release in the Summer of 2019. Spanish language content is scheduled to accompany that release, to make the app available to the widest possible audience. The scaled design approach also allows for eventual scaling up of the app to encompass all permanent and temporary Landmark exhibits.
The Landmark received a grant from the E. Jay Matsler Trust for Historic Preservation of the Community Foundation of West Texas that has enabled the Landmark to offer 10 iPads for checkout at the Interpretive Center. All visitors are invited to check out an iPad free of charge as another way to interact with the Landmark’s digital content. The grant is vital to combating the exclusionary barrier of smart device ownership by allowing the Landmark to provide iPads pre-loaded with the app to visitors. In addition, headphones, headphone splitters, and assistive listening devices are available for Landmark visitors to use. All items are offered free of charge on a first come, first serve basis and may be checked out independently of the iPads. This initiative is designed to make digital content at the Landmark accessible to the widest possible audience.
The Lubbock Lake Landmark is a satellite facility of the Museum of Texas Tech University with its own staff and programming. It is a small museum with 10 full-time staff, three part-time staff, and several volunteers performing key functions. Despite a limited budget, the Landmark is experiencing a growing visitorship. The Lubbock Lake Landmark is a National Historic Landmark. Its facilities consist of the Nash Interpretive Center and the Quaternary Research Center. With over 300 acres, the Landmark is an archaeological and natural history preserve at the northern edge of the city of Lubbock, Texas within Yellowhouse Draw. The Landmark contains evidence of almost 12,000 years of occupation by ancient peoples and animals on the Southern High Plains. The Landmark is open to the public year-round with active education and exhibits programming.
